Whether you know it or not, you’ve likely heard the Wilhelm scream. It’s been featured in countless films by many of Hollywood’s finest directors, but the story of its origins is an interesting one. It has also become an inside joke of sorts, akin to the goatse phenomenon, only for sound editors rather than internet surfers. Here’s the lowdown:

The Wilhelm scream is a piece of stock audio that is purported to have been recorded for the 1951 Gary Cooper flick “Distant Drums,” but the scream rose to prominence after being re-discovered by Ben Burtt, the sound designer responsible for “Star Wars.” While researching screams to use in the film, Burtt came across a distinctive howl, which he named after the minor character that emits it in “The Charge at Feather River.” The scream initially appeared in a dozen or so films throughout the 1950’s with relatively little fan fair, but it wasn’t until it resurfaced in “Star Wars” that it took on a life of its own. Burtt eventually tracked down the scream’s origins to a studio reel labeled “man being eaten by alligator,” and the howl actually appears as tribute in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” when Mola Ram is eaten by alligators.

No one knows for sure who delivered the original version of the scream, but Wilhelm historians attribute it to Sheb Wooley, a voice actor whose name appeared on a memo next to the original sound recording. It isn’t the Wilhelm scream, however, that Wooley will be most remembered for. He sang the hit single “Purple People Eater” which spent six weeks at number one in 1958.

The Wilhelm continues to be inserted into films today. Quentin Tarantino is a fan and used it in “Reservoir Dogs.” Peter Jackson likes it too, and placed the scream in two of the three “Lord of the Rings” flicks as well as his recent “King Kong.” It has appeared in countless Disney films, television commercials, and even video games. You can see the 100+ list of Wilhelm’s credits here.

You can sample the Wilhelm scream here.

Or check out the video below to see the Wilhelm in action:

According to Hollywood Lost & Found, the internet’s most thorough site for all things Wilhelm: “After finishing the last ‘Star Wars’ film and beginning work at Pixar, Ben Burtt has announced he will no longer be using the Wilhelm. This is surely an end of an era for the scream, but there is no indication that it will be silenced anytime soon. The Wilhelm Scream continues to be heard in new films every year.”

If that still isn’t enough for you, check out a couple of tracks from the punk rock band A Wilhelm Scream.

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